How to Get Rid of Chest Congestion and Cough Fast: Home Remedies

Add juice from half a lemon and two teaspoons of honey. Mix it well and heat gently, but make sure you don’t bring it to boil. If the mixture is too thick, you can add some water to it so that it’s easier to swallow. Alternatively, you can prepare onion syrup simply by soaking a few slices of fresh onion in honey. Cut the onion, place it in a bowl and cover it entirely with honey. Leave it overnight, remove the onion from the bowl and take a teaspoon of the onion and honey syrup three to four times a day until the symptoms of chest congestion are gone.

Garlic

Garlic works like a natural antibiotic and is a very effective home remedy for chest congestion. It works best when it’s eaten raw, but those who don’t like its taste can also reach for garlic supplements, which are usually tasteless and odourless. Alternatively, you can crush three to four cloves of garlic and mix them with a teaspoon of honey. Add a teaspoon of this mixture to a cup of warm milk and drink it twice a day. Warm milk alleviates the pain caused by prolonged coughing and honey and garlic fight off the viruses and gives a boost to your immune system by providing vitamins A, C and B as well as copper, iron, calcium and selenium.

Lemon

Everybody knows that vitamin C is crucial for an effective treatment of cold, flu and chest congestion. The best way to increase its daily intake is to incorporate more citrus fruits in your diet. Lemon is one of the fruits with the highest level of vitamin C, therefore, is highly recommended during bacterial and viral infections. There are various ways in which you can use lemon while fighting off chest congestion. You can leave a wedge of lemon in water overnight and drink it throughout the day. It’s best if you heat the lemon water slightly just before consumption.

Alternatively, you can squeeze the juice of half a lemon into half a cup of water and drink it first thing in the morning. You can also add a teaspoon of honey into this mixture to get even better results. Repeat twice a day to loosen the mucus, make it easier to remove it from the respiratory tract and to boost the body’s immunity.

Ginger

Ginger gives a great boost to the immune system and has anti-inflammatory properties. It also slows down the production of mucus and loosens the one accumulated in the respiratory system, therefore, make a perfect home remedy for chest congestion. You can use fresh or dry ginger in the treatment. Take a few pieces of fresh ginger and put it into a glass of hot water. Leave it for 15 minutes, take it out and drink the water with a teaspoon of honey. This mixture will also soothe the pain in your throat as well as reduce its swelling and redness. Alternatively, you can add fresh ginger to your home-made fruit juices or use dry, ground ginger and mix it with hot milk and honey. Take some ginger in your preferred form three times a day and you chest congestion will go in no time.

Bay Leaf

Bay leaf can also be used in various forms to help get rid of chest congestion. It has antibacterial and soothing properties. You can make some bay leaf tea by soaking four to five bay leaves in a glass of hot water for 10 minutes and drinking it as long as it’s warm. A bay leaf compress can give you a significant relief from chest congestion, too. Boil a cup of water with a few bay leaves. Soak a clean, cotton cloth in the water and place it on your chest. You can repeat the process two or three times or as long as the water is warm. This compress facilitates breathing and improves blood circulation in the treated area, which accelerates the healing process.

Thyme

Drinking thyme tea gives your lungs a great protection against bacteria and inhibits the spreading of the infection. Boil a cup of water, take it off the heat and add half a teaspoon of thyme in it. Let it soak for five to ten minutes and drain it. Drink this herbal tea three times a day. You can also use thyme oil diluted in olive oil to rub it into your chest. It is especially helpful if you do it before bedtime as it opens the blood vessels and facilitates the oxygen flow, which in turn make you breathing much easier.

Hot Tea

Drinking a lot of liquids is very important when you have chest congestion as it prevents you from getting dehydrated when you produce a lot of mucus and perspire more due to fever. Some of the most effective hot drinks you can have while fighting a chest congestion are lemon and honey tea or herbal tea prepared from chamomile, ginger or the previously mentioned bay leaf or thyme. Drink those teas as often as you want, preferably alternating the recipes in order to give your immune system a proper boost.

Black Coffee

another hot drink that might be very beneficial in the treatment of chest congestion is black coffee. It improves blood circulation and the flow of oxygen so it can facilitate the breathing. Additionally, it helps clear the mucus out of the respiratory system. Make sure, however, you only drink as much coffee as you feel comfortable with cause excessive intake of caffeine might lead to high blood pressure and the feeling of anxiety, which will be accompanied by a short, low breath that will cause further discomfort.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is a solution for a very wide range of health problems due to its versatile properties. It has antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties. Drinking undiluted vinegar is not something everyone can do, not only because of the taste but also because it might get your stomach upset. The best way to drink vinegar is to dilute a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in half a cup of warm water. Add a teaspoon of honey for extra healing benefits and a better flavour, then drink it. Repeat the process twice a day to get rid of chest infection fast. Alternatively, you can do an inhalation with hot water and apple cider vinegar. Boil some water, put it in a bowl and add three teaspoons of apple cider vinegar. Sit with your face over the bowl, cover your head and the bowl with a towel and inhale the steam. It’s better to close your eyes while you’re doing this inhalation as apple cider vinegar might irritate them.

Steam

Inhalations are one of the best ways to relieve the discomfort caused by chest congestion. Inhaled steam hydrates the respiratory system, loosens the mucus and helps to clear it out from your lungs, throat, nasal cavity and sinuses. You can inhale pure steam (also while taking a shower or a hot bath) or you can prepare an inhalation with herbs or essential oils, like eucalyptus or peppermint oil. Whether you use a special inhalation device or simply a bowl with hot water, it is more than sure that hot steam will give you a great relief from chest congestion.

Hot Compress

Another way to loosen the accumulated mucus through the use of a higher temperature is a hot pack or a compress. Heat some water, soak a cloth in it, wring it out and place over your chest and your throat. For best results, add some cloves and fenugreek seeds to the water. This will additionally improve the blood circulation in the treated area. You can also use a hot water bottle to avoid the necessity of re-soaking the cloth. Whatever way you decide to do it, make sure that the temperature is high enough for the treatment to be effective, but not too high so that it doesn’t burn your skin.

Liquorice

Liquorice has soothing properties and gives a huge relief when you suffer from a sore throat. It also accelerates the process of mucus removal from the respiratory tract due to its expectorant properties. You can make a liquorice and honey tea. Just put half a teaspoon of both ingredients into a glass of warm water and let it steep for two minutes. Drink it slowly to get an instant relief from chest congestion symptoms. You can also use ground liquorice and add it to your regular tea two to three times a day. Make sure you don’t overuse it if you have high blood pressure, though.

Turmeric

Curcumin contained in turmeric also has expectorant properties and may speed up the process of your respiratory system healing. On top of that, it prevents the infection from spreading as it has anti-inflammatory properties. You can add ¼ teaspoon of turmeric and a teaspoon of honey to half a cup of warm milk. Mix it well and drink twice a day. You can also prepare a gargle with a teaspoon of turmeric and a cup of warm water. Use this mixture to gargle two to three times a day in order to soothe the pain and get a quick relief from chest congestion.

Radish

Radish has been used for many years as a home remedy for chest congestion related to bronchitis, cold and allergies. Radish can be added to sandwiches, eaten raw or mixed with lemon juice and taken like a medicine. Just chop one radish, squeeze some fresh lemon juice and pour it over the radish. Leave it overnight and eat it in the morning. An alternative way of using the benefits of radish is to buy some radish oil and rub it on your chest. Make sure you don’t do it before bedtime, though, as this natural remedy has expectorant properties and you will spend the night coughing, rather than sleeping.

Homoeopathic Remedies

Whoever likes reaching for homoeopathic remedies, has a wide range of products that can be used for the chest congestion. For example, Bryonia alba relieves the symptoms of a dry cough, as well as soothes a headache. For a wet cough, you can use natrum muriaticum that helps remove the accumulated mucus from the respiratory tract. If you don’t know what kind of cough you have, you can choose to tray kali bichromicim, which may bring relief in both cases.

How To Boost The Recovery Process

Apart from using home remedies or over the counter medicines for chest congestions, there are some things you can do to relieve the symptoms of and speed up the healing process. First of all, make sure you stay well hydrated, either by drinking water or herbal tea with some lemon juice and honey. In order to keep your respiratory system well hydrated, you can also use a humidifier in your bedroom as it will help you breathe better and get better rest, which is extremely important when your body is fighting a battle against bacteria and viruses.